Retractable coupling



Patented July 2, 1935 UNITED STATES RETBACTABLE COUPLING i Louis W. G. Flynt, East Orange, N. J., assignor to Breeze Corporations, Inc., Newark, N. J.

Application June 6, 1933, Serial No. 674,513 6 Claims. (Cl. 285-84) This invention relates to a retractable coupling.

conduits may be either rigid or flexible.

In many arts it is common to use'conduits having coupling members at the ends thereof. The They may be made of various materials and may be used as passages for fluids, as protective casings, as radio shields for electrical equipment and for other uses. k

The coupling herein is described in connection with itsuse on gasoline and oil lines for airplanes, for which use it is particularly suited, but it will be obvious that it may be used in many other capacities.

Conduits having coupling members are usually used tovmake connection between two stationary or fixed units. For example, a conduit such as described herein, may be connected between the outlet on a gasoline tank and the intake on a carburetor. vBoth the tank and the carburetor are provided with projecting, exteriorly screw-` threaded members, to which the securing element or nuts of the coupling is screwed. In order to allow for engagement of the securing members of the couplings with the projecting members on the tank or carburetor, the overall length of the conduit with its couplings must be greater 'than the distance between the extremities of the projecting members on the tank or carburetor.

Where a. flexible conduit is used and the distance between the two points .of connection is relatively long, it is possible to flex the conduit to shorten the distance between its ends to permit the conduit being placed in position to be secured to the outlets on the tank and carburetor. However, it often happens that the distance between the two units to which the ends of the conduits are to be connected is relatively short. In some cases the length of the coupling members constitutes the greater part of the length of the entire conduit. Under these circumstances it is not possible to flex the conduit sufficiently to permit its being placed in position. Where rigid conduits are used bending or flexing of the conduit is not possible.

Therefore, the object of this invention is'to provide a coupling which will permit the overf all length of a conduit to be temporarily shortened to allow the conduit to be vplaced in position between two iixed points.

Specifically, the object of the invention is to provide a coupling having a portion which may be retracted to shorten the coupling.

In many cases, and particularly on airplanes,

the space in which a connection must be made is very limited. It is not possible to use a large coupling nut having an inside diameter sufficient to permit its being slipped back over the conduit. In most cases the outside diameter of 5 the coupling nut or securing member must be restricted to a little more than the diameter of the body of the conduit. Therefore, a further object of the invention is to provide a coupling having a retractable portion, the outside diam- 10 eter of which will not be greater than the outside diameter of the remainder of the coupling.

Since it is essential on gasoline and other lines that a fluid-tight connection be had, a further specific object of the invention is to provide a l5 coupling having a retractable portion which, when extended, will make a fluid-tight joint with its associated parts.

In use on airplanes couplings are subjected to continuous vibration and are apt to become 20 loose by reason thereof. Therefore, a further specific object of the invention is to produce a retractable coupling having means to lock the retractable portion against casual-loosening due to vibration or other causes.

The invention consists of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein illustrated, described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, is illustrated one form of embodiment of the invention, in which drawing similar reference characters designate corresponding parts and, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a coupling and a portion of the conduit; Y Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through a coupling withla portion of a conduit in plan and partly broken away;

Figure 3 is :a longitudinal section through a coupling with a portion of a conduit in plan and partly broken away, showing the coupling' in retracted position; and,

Figure 4 is a composite perspective view of a retaining means and its associated parts.

Referring to the drawing, 5 designates a con- 45 duit which may be either flexible or rigid and which may be one of several types. The conduit 5 shown is a conventional type comprising a plurality of layers 6 having an outer covering 1.

On the end of theconduit 5 is disposed a 50 sleeve or collar 8 of resilient material adapted to receive the internal teeth 9 of a sleeve I0 which is swaged on or otherwise secured to the end of the conduit 5. The sleeve I0 has an end wall il, the outer edge of which is recessed to :ma asm-lz. 'me neveu u provided wim' a bore Il. the inner end of which Ais recessed at I4.

spaced from the sleeve Il and in axial alignment therewith is a securing-member or nut Il provided with interior screw-threads Il on its outer end. The opposite end wall II of the nut Il has its Vouter edge recessed to form a seat IQ. The nut Il is provided with Ya. bore Il of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the bore II in the sleeve Il, adjacent which is a recess 20 having an angular wall 2|.

The nut I! is held with relation to the sleeve I by means of a tubular retaining element 22 which vis disposed through the bore Il in the nut Il and which extends through the bore Il in the sleeve I0. The inner end 2l of the member 22 is bent into the recess at I4` in the sleeve I0 to hold the member 22 securely in place. 'I'he member 22 makes a close fitting with the bore I3 but the nut I5 is free to rotate on the member 22 by reason of the bore 'I8 being slightly larger than the bore I3. The outer end of the member 22 is provided with an annular flange 24 having an outwardly extending angular lip 25. The lip 25 is adapted to lie in the recessed portion adjacent the angular wall 2| of the nut I5, and when the coupling is secured in position, to make a fluid-tight connection between the members 22 and the nut I l. At the same time the pressure of the lip 2B on the wall 2| prevents spreading or outward distortion of the nut I5. The inner edge 24a of the flange 2l may be curved r or of any other suitable contour to abut the connecting member of a fixed unit such as the outlet of a gasoline tank.

Disposed inside of the sleeve I0 is a re-inforcing tube 26 provided with an extension 21 which extends into the tubular member 22 and is frictionally held therein.

Seated in the seats I2 and Il on the members I0 and I5, respectively, is a retaining or locking ring 28 formed of, a single strip of spring metal bent upon itself and having its ends 29 bent outwardly so as to lie in parallel relation. The ends 29 are provided with openings 30 through which is disposed a bolt 3| on which is carried a lock washer 32 and the ensemble is held securely in position bya nut 33.

When it is desired to apply a conduit between two xed points the locking ring 28 is loosened and unseated, permitting the member I5 to be retracted on the member 22, so that the end wall Il of the member Il will abut the end wall I I of the sleeve l0, as shown in Figure 3. When in this position the over-al1 length of the conduit and the couplings will be no greater than the distance between the extremities of the members 22 on the ends of the conduits. The conduit may now be placed between the two fixed connections so that the inner edges 24a on the respective members 22 will abut the respective outlets on the xed connections. T'he members I5 on each end of a conduit may now be screwed into engagement with the respective fixed connections. When the nut I5 is tightened a fluid-proof connection will be made by the lip 25 as heretofore described. When such connection has been made the clearance between the walls II and Il will 4be suillcient to receive the locking ring 28 which will beseated-on the seats I2 and I8, and secured in place by the bolt 3| s,oos,sas

and the nut u. When the bolt Il is tightened theends 2! ofthering 2ldonotcomeincontact but the ring 2l imposes a resilient load von the seats I2 and Il, thus acting as a brake tol prevent rotary or angular movement of the nut Il with relation to the sleeve Il. Aside from acting as a brake the ring 2l locks the nut Il in position by preventing axial movement of the nut IB toward the sleeve Il. Y

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is: 1 y

l. A hose coupling comprising a sleeve to surround the end of a hose, a securing member movable with relation to the sleeve, connecting means between the sleeve and the securing member and means carried by the sleeve and the securing member to lock the securing member against axial movement with relation to the sleeve.

2. A hose coupling comprising a sleeve secured to the end of a hose, a tubular member secured inside the sleeve and projecting therefrom, a securing element rotatably'disposed on the tubular member and spaced from the sleeve and means to prevent either rotary or axial movement of the securing element comprising a locking ring disposed between the sleeve and the securing element and bearing on a portion of both the sleeve and the securing element.

3. A hose coupling comprising a sleeve secured to the end of a hose, a securing element spaced therefrom in axial alignment, the adjacent ends of the sleeve and securing member being recessed to form complementary seats, a connecting member between the sleeve and securing element and a retaining member adapted to tit in said seats.

4. A hose coupling comprising a sleeve secured to the end of a hose, a securing element spaced therefrom in axial alignment, the adjacent ends of the sleeve and securing member being recessed to form complementary seats, a connecting member between the sleeve and securing element and a retaining member adapted to fit in said seats to maintain the sleeve and securing element in spaced relation.

5. A hose coupling comprising a sleeve secured to the end of a hose, a rotatable securing element spaced therefrom in axial alignment, the adjacent ends of the sleeve and securing member being recessed to form complementary seats, a connecting member between the sleeve and securing element and a retaining member adapted to t in said seats to maintain the sleeve and securing element in spaced relation and to prevent rotation of the securing element.

6. In combination with a fluid conduit adapted to be disposed between two ilxed points, a retractable coupling means comprising a sleeve secured on the end of the conduit, atubular member secured lin the sleeve and projecting therefrom, a securing element carried on the tubular member, said securing element -normally extending past theend of the tubular member and being.

LOUIS W. G. FLYNT. 

